


Simplicities

by Pinkgrasshopper



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future Fish, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-08
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-24 13:43:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2583464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinkgrasshopper/pseuds/Pinkgrasshopper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their routine was filled with every day tales, ranging from mysterious cases of stolen lunches, impromptu post-it conversations on the schedule board and who ate the last doughnut in the box; it was natural and expected, and as with all things that become the norm, it was often taken for granted.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Simplicities

When he didn’t hear the familiar ‘click’ upon turning the key in, Rei figured he wasn’t coming to an empty home, a surprise he initially thought to be pleasant.

The sight that greeted him inside, however, was just about the opposite.

Sprawled on their couch in full uniform save for a cap that was nowhere to be seen, Rin offered a half-hearted ‘ _Yo_ , _’_ with only the ceiling as witness to his hollow look— though Rei could make an educated guess, given that uncharacteristic tone. His fiancé, that eternal ray of sunshine that hardly ever relented, a hot summer day mid flowery spring, seemed like a completely different person today, but it wasn’t the first time.

Their routine was filled with every day tales, ranging from mysterious cases of stolen lunches, impromptu post-it conversations on the schedule board and who ate the last doughnut in the box, bickering over date options, sometimes berating the other for reckless behavior in their respective fields of work, and a five-page index of small moments of happiness and mundane little joys in the book they were just starting to write together. It was natural and expected, and as with all things that become the norm, it was often taken for granted.

And then there were days like this, a sun that only cast shadow, a chapter out of context. They brought meaning to an otherwise blissful simplicity, made them appreciate the good a little more every time, but never before leaving a lasting impression.

"I need a hug," Rin finally poured his head back on the armrest, his body arching only enough to allow the most languished of movements; he looked as though he’d been carrying the weight of the world, alive and breathing despite the crushing burden.

"You really must need it, if you’re being so vocal about it."

The attempt at a joke went right over him, otherwise Rin would at least have spared his fiancé a smile, tiny and forced and sad though it would be. Instead, he just waited, waited until Rei covered that dreadfully long distance of five-and-a-half steps between the door and the couch, waited until the other man could tune into his non-existing mind-reading abilities and rolled over that limp husk of a body to a side, and only dignified himself to sit up and scoot over when that wish failed to come true. One day, Rei’s well-meaning quip would strike him out of the blue again, and perhaps then Rin would admit communication truly wasn’t his strongest suit.

They sat like that for a while, Rin nestled between a pair of panted legs, arms around him and a warm chest for a pillow. Silence was only ever interrupted by the rustling sound of nails on his scalp and fingers carded through a sea of red, and perhaps the occasional sigh in thanks. Once upon a time, Rei would press him for elaboration, but he had since then learned neither Rin’s anger nor his tears were a reasonable price to pay for his curiosity. He had learned to pace himself, learned to wait until Rin was ready to talk. Eventually, he always would.

"We had a hostage situation today," He finally started, and this time his sigh was a poor cover-up for a shivering sob. "A school bus, we got nearly everyone out safely, but there was this kid— fourteen, fifteen year old kid, really— and we just— we couldn’t—"

It was hard for him to finish that sentence, and Rei’s tightening grip around him should tell him there was no need to. “I’m so sorry, Rin.”

"I know, I know," He tossed his head back for a second, groaned in frustration, and immediately buried himself in the comfortable safety of his lover’s embrace. "I shouldn’t let it get to me so badly, occupational hazard and all that shit. But it does. Damn it, it just _does._ ”

If there was another tool of the trade Rei had picked up throughout their relationship, it was knowing when to counter Rin’s overly emotional imbalances with a dash of raw rationality, and when to just listen to his troubles, to offer his quiet support in the shape of a shoulder or chest or any other body part that could possibly be leaned on, and let him know he wasn’t alone. He would never be alone.

"I hate this job," Rin tried again after a long pause, the cushions of his hand wiping across a wet puddle in his eyes. "Or this part of the job, at least. Don’t think I’m ever getting used to it."

"I’d find it odd if you did," Rei whispered, rehearsing the beginnings of a speech. "But I also know why you took it, why you never quit. It’s for the sake of the people you can help, isn’t it?"

"Well, yeah, but… Sometimes it’s just, like— like what’s the point? What’s the point if I can’t help everyone?"

"The point is that you can help _someone._ The point is that you put your own life on the line to save the life of one, two, or even tens of strangers, every day.”

"Doesn’t make losses any easier," He slid further down Rei’s body, further away from his scrutiny. "And when it’s kids, it’s just— god, if you’d seen her parents…"

"I can’t imagine the kind of pain they’re feeling, it’s true. But what I _can_ imagine is how grateful several other parents are to have their children returned safely to them thanks to you and your team; it must mean the world to them. And perhaps it can never make it up to the two who lost their daughter, but I’m sure they at least appreciate your efforts.”

"Not good enough," He mumbled, almost in a slur, and Rei could almost definitely tell he was pouting through his tears. "Everyone…Why can’t it be everyone…"

There was a pause, and Rei really hated to second-guess himself, but he needed to offer more than just physical comfort. “Why can’t surgeons save everyone in an emergency room? Why can’t scientists find the cure to all diseases, or firemen rescue all victims in a timely manner? I don’t have full answers to any of those. But I do know one thing.”

"Hmmm…?"

"They’re all only human. Life is fragile, and humans are limited, and there are many, many obstacles along the way, but they keep trying. And I know that’s the kind of person you are. You can fall as far as you need today, tomorrow, however long it takes, but the minute you’re up on your feet again, you’re unstoppable. Aren’t you?"

The last bit was added as an afterthought, almost as though paranoid he had missed his mark by a long shot— and when no answer was heard, he feared for the worst. All it took was a quick look down, and suddenly Rei could breathe again, sigh in relief; Rin had cried himself to sleep in his arms, comforted and more peaceful, despite his flustered, damp cheeks. A little more like himself, too.

"You missed at least half of what I said, didn’t you?" The fondest of smiles spread across his lips even as he shook his head, and the reprimanding tone would be another joke to be laughed at a later time. "How rude of you, Rin-san."

With a chuckle at the long forgotten honorific, Rei disentangled himself from the sleeping beauty’s ever alluring clutches and sat up, white lab coat removed to serve as a makeshift replacement for his chest-slash-pillow— and he would have tried to carry Rin to bed instead, but history, a pair of lost glasses and a fractured spleen had taught the both of them to either step up their exercising regimen or to stay away from heavy lifting. For now, he would prioritize Rin’s much needed undisturbed sleep over the company of his lover in their room, but with their impending nuptials and certain threshold traditions, the former seemed like an option to start taking into serious consideration soon.

"You’re a true hero, Rin," His whisper and kiss vied for first place as the best display of loving care, a competition without losers. "Just don’t be too much of one, or else who’s going to save _you?_ ”

The following morning, Rei woke up to the sound of a running shower, and a spare, dark blue uniform had been laid out on the armchair beside their bed. It would seem like his fiancé was getting ready to go about his day as usual, a little wiser, a little stronger, and Rei liked to think he had his share of relevance to that outcome. Perhaps Rin had listened through his speech to the end, after all.

And when he reached out for the nightstand only to find a note neatly tucked underneath red frames, he thought there might be truth to his hunch. There, in beautiful handwriting and just one or two water stains, were the words that brightened his life.

_You save me every day._


End file.
